The Willpower of Yui Komori
by User 627
Summary: A single moment of defiance sparked the fire that gave her the determination to become a heroine worthy of the story that is told. This is not as easy as it sounds as she unlocks hidden feelings within the Sakamaki brothers. Unfortunately, some of the Sakamaki brothers seems to have taken a liking to her new found assertiveness and is determined to break it.
1. Chapter 1: The Start of Yui Komori

**Chapter 1**

 **The Start of Yui Komori**

* * *

Claustrophobia.

Being confined in such a tiny room, Yui believed herself to be developing a pathological fear of being trapped. She believed this to be stemming from the fact that she had been trapped under the clutches of the Sakamaki brothers that the phobia surfaced as a psychological defense mechanism that warns her of incoming pain.

Being inside a small room without much freedom to move always filled her with a sense of dread.

Her first instinct was to stay away from such rooms. She preferred places with a lot of space to run away. Not that it mattered when you're dealing with vampires. Still, she'd like to believe she had a chance.

" _You're going to be staying here until we can figure out what to do with your recent...rebellious nature."_

' _Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_ Yui Komori shouted in her thoughts as she slammed her forehead on the wall, not at a speed enough to do any damage but enough to be felt harshly.

Oh, Good Lord, why did she ever fight back?

Why did she even think that she stood a chance? That if she showed an ounce of defiance, the burdens she carried might actually lighten? That the vampires might actually learn to treat her with a little bit more respect?

Yui looked over to her bruised knuckle.

Punching a vampire resulted in broken fingers...?

Interesting logic. She should take note of that.

' _...owie.'_

Yui tried to caress her hand to soothe the pain, but it did little effect. She started looking around the room for something to lessen the sting. They didn't even bother patching her up. They just threw her here without even dinner and left.

There wasn't even a bed to lie down on in this empty room.

The place was just an empty storage filled with boxes that were covered in dust. It looked like they haven't been touched in years. The shelves on the side were filled with old books and spider cobwebs hanging all around it.

' _I don't think anyone's ever entered this room in a long time,'_ Yui thought as she began to look around. _'...maybe some of the boxes have something useful in them?'_

Opening up one box after another, most of it was filled with pretty much useless artefacts to which Yui guessed were priceless antiques that the Sakamaki brothers probably forgot about. She frowned at the waste. A lot of these were in perfect shape.

' _Figures...they are rather rich.'_

After some time searching, she didn't think she'd find anything of use until she found some old curtains. They were aged, but were neatly folded on top of each other. Yui thanked her lucky stars that she could use these to wrap around her hand. Now if only she could find some scissors. Too bad she didn't have the knife Subaru gave her.

Unfortunately, no matter where she looked or how hard she kept an eye out for it, there was nothing sharp inside the room for her to use.

Yui sighed.

The curtains were soft, but they were far too big to wrap around her tiny hand.

All of the sudden, an idea stuck her.

One of the boxes had some fancy looking glass plates in it. If she could break one of them into a piece that's just sharp enough to use as a makeshift knife, then she could cut herself a nice little bandage to wrap around her hurting hand.

' _Alright, here we go. I just hope this won't make too much noise. Who knows what they'll do if they hear?'_

Yui braced herself before picking up a plate. She could see her transparent reflection on it.

' _Shame to waste something like this; it looks rather expensive.'_

She tried to aim it carefully at just the right distance so any glass shards wouldn't hit her. She also calculated the type of force that she would use. Too little and the glass wouldn't break. Too much and the glass would break into too many pieces too small for her to use.

' _3...2...1...'_

The sounds of glass breaking filled the room for half a second. Yui could've sworn the brothers would've heard that but hoped that they wouldn't bother checking up on her. Maybe then she could get some peace and quiet.

' _Oh, thank goodness there's a shard big enough I can use.'_

Picking it up carefully, Yui then began to cut the soft fabric of curtain into a nice little bandage just enough to cover her injured hand.

Once finished, she used the remainder of the curtains to give herself a self-constructed futon. It would not be comfortable, sure. But it was ways better off than sleeping on the cold, dirty floor.

As she lied down on the curtains, she started to wonder what she did to deserve all this. Had she not been a good person all her life? Had she not been an honest woman? Maybe this was God's way of testing her virtue and character? Could be. But did it really have to be vampires?

Yui was tired. Really tired.

Not just physically as she is now. But she was tired mentally, spiritually, and even sexually. She's tired of having to deal with all these problems the brothers cause for her. What was their problem anyway? Why did they always harass her? She would not wish this burden upon anyone else.

She tried being nice to them, she really did. But nothing seems to change no matter how sweet or how kind she is to them.

This was the night when Yui began to question her forgiving nature.

No, not her forgiving nature, but her passiveness. She was way too "meh" with whatever it is that they just did to her.

' _How could I just let them do that to me?'_

Yui looks down to her injured fingers.

' _...oh, right.'_

Maybe it's because she's just not doing enough for them?

"Am I really the heroine of this story...or just another victim?"

* * *

 _ **Flashback...**_

 _This night school that she was attending were for rich brats from powerful families. Most of the boys and girls who go to this school don't even bother to pay attention in class. They all pass with flying colors regardless of how they do in exams or attendance._

 _Everything was all about socializing._

 _It's about who you're in with. What's the point of learning how to get a job when you're just going to inherit the family fortune anyway? The reason the kid's parents even send them here is to build connection with possible future business associates._

 _Seriously, why else would school be in the middle of the night?_

 _Yui felt a little alienated by her peers. And to be honest, she felt intimidated by their wealth. She was the daughter of a priest from a rundown church. Having grown up working hard, she fears what people of this social standing would treat her as. So she always avoided them. Maintained as minimal contact as possible with anyone._

 _Unfortunately, being near the Sakamaki brothers, who were somewhat very popular in this school, attracted her quite a lot of attention. Especially from the fairer sex, whom were not happy that she was considered "worthy" enough to be near the school's princes._

 _Of course, they left her alone not truly knowing what her relationship with the Sakamaki brothers really is, but they had a rather mean opinion about her and made no efforts to hide their gossip._

" _Hey, it's that weird girl again..."_

" _Who is she, anyway?"_

" _I don't know. She has to be rich and powerful, though. To catch the attention of Ayato-sama."_

" _She doesn't even have any friends. Seriously, I've never seen her walk with any girls."_

" _A total ice queen."_

" _She can't fool me with those innocent looks. She's probably, like, secretly a bitch or something."_

 _Yui sighed. Oh, why must rich girls be so stereotypically judgemental? Just pretend not to notice them and they'll eventually get bored._

" _I just don't see what Ayato-sama would see in her..."_

" _Who cares about Ayato? Reiji-sama is where it's at. Good and refined manners – a total gentleman. Too bad he never gives us the time of day. He's always paying attention to Komori, though."_

 _Yui felt some heavy strain and venom in her words._

" _He's kind of boring. Bad boy Subaru, now there's a man."_

" _Shu-sama is the cool one!"_

" _Oh, please. He's got the personality of a walking plank! Kanato-sama is the cutest of the bunch!"_

" _You're a damned shotacon, Maya."_

" _Am not!"_

" _Laito-sama's pretty charming."_

" _Don't even think about it, girl. That boy has slept with_ _ **half**_ _of the women in this school."_

" _Those are only rumors!"_

" _Oh, yeah. Well, you know Rei? That quiet girl who sits by herself? When Laito got his hands on her..."_

' _Too much information.' Yui began to block them out of her mind._

 _They had began to gossip too much about the Sakamaki brothers and were going into rumors that were so ridiculous that they were way off. Seriously, one of them commented that Reiji was like a prince charming who is charming, kind, and loyal beneath his icy exterior._

 _Goes to show how little this school knew their own students._

 _Then again, maybe not. Yui figured that this school only accepted the rich and powerful, so it must have some idea as to who they're taking into the student body. They must have recordings on every student here._

 _Did the school's staff know of the brothers' nature?_

 _She then felt a little bashful when she realized that she knew little about the Sakamaki brothers as well. Aside from them being complete sadists, she never really did learn of their family history or if they had any other relatives._

 _Maybe the school has records on those?_

 _Maybe she could-_

 _Yui began to shake the idea out of her head. Oh, no. She was not going to take that kind of risk. She mentally noted to clear any funny ideas out of her head. They would only serve to get her more into trouble. She already learned the consequences of trying to escape; she was not going to take another risk._

 _Besides, she doesn't even know how to access their private records. Surely, the school wouldn't just hand them over to her._

' _And Reiji is really mean when he's using a whip.' Yui shuddered at the thought of the tall, glasses-wearing Sakamaki using it on her poor self again._

 _She could still remember the lashes on her butt._

 _Before Yui could continue to ponder in her thoughts, she bumped into somebody tall._

" _Oh, sorry-"_

" _You should really watch where you are going, Komori." A strict, harsh condescending tone Yui knew all too well greeted her._

 _Speak of the devil._

 _Reiji Sakamaki._

 _Yui could hear the girls behind her giggling and squeeing at the second eldest of the Sakamaki brothers, clearly infatuated and fooled by his princely looks. If Reiji noticed, he did not show it. Instead, he merely stared at her through his glasses._

" _Oh, Reiji-san, I'm sorry for bumping into you." Yui did a quick bow before sidestepping him. "I'll just be on my way."_

" _Just a second." Reiji grabbed her arm just before she could make her escape._

 _Yui could feel herself sweat. Oh God, what did he want now? Is he going to suck her blood as punishment for bumping into him? Could he really be that petty? Or maybe he wants to go with the whip again? Oh please, not the whip! Anything but the whip!_

" _I was looking for you, actually."_

 _Yui gulped._

" _You were?"_

 _Reiji frowned at her. "Yes, I was. We received a letter this morning addressed to you."_

" _This morning?" Yui blinked in confusion. "Why are you just giving it to me now?"_

 _Reiji's frown turns into a scowl._

" _It was from that priest," he says with a hint of venom. "...I had to examine it in case it held plans for your escape."_

 _Yui shivered. That priest? Could Reiji possibly mean her father? She felt a little angry at Reiji for snooping through her stuff but knew she could do nothing about it._

" _Thank you, Reiji. Well, um, where is it?"_

" _I never said I was going to give it to you."_

 _Yui's face twisted into confusion. "What? But you said the letter was for me."_

" _I did. Unfortunately, Laito stole it from me on my way here. So you are going to have to acquire it from him."_

" _What?!" Yui shouted in shock. "You're kidding me!"_

 _Reiji merely stared at her impassively._

 _Yui sighed dejectedly. "I'll go look for him."_

" _You go do that."_

* * *

 _Yui wandered the halls aimlessly looking for Laito, the more perverted brother of the bunch. She was in the same year as him, and although they did not share classes, he was always nearby. She figured to look for him near her classroom because he wasn't inside his._

 _She had to act fast. Break was almost over and classes were going to start soon._

 _Not that she was in any hurry to attend it._

 _Now Yui wasn't exactly eager to see him. Laito has always been the most problematic one she had to deal with. With his constant perversion often driving her away in disgust, she feels his aggressive seduction tactics would work better had he been a woman and she be a man._

' _Seriously, I can't even believe why girls would like a guy like that.' Yui shook her head. The modern female populace was something she'd never understand._

" _Oi, Pancake, what're you prancing around for?"_

 _Yui continued to look around without even looking at the source of the voice._

" _Oh, nothing, Ayato-san. I'm just trying to get to the bathroom." She lied. She did not want to tell the redhead that she was looking for his younger pervert of a brother. She really just hoped that Ayato would leave her alone. Of course, she knew better than that._

" _Hey, don't ignore me! Wait up!"_

 _She hears him follow after her._

" _You know class is about to start, right?"_

" _I really have to use the bathroom, Ayato-san..." Yui speeds up her footsteps._

" _What are you on your period or something?"_

 _Yui remained silent. Although she was clearly bothered with that question._

" _You know, you could get Yours Truly to help you out with that."_

" _I just need to wash my face, Ayato-san."_

 _Before Yui could move on forward to look for Laito, she suddenly felt herself being slammed unto the wall faster than she could've comprehended it happening to her._

" _Don't lie to me, Pancake."_

 _Yui started to blush. "Ayato-san, people are starting to look."_

" _Who cares? Let them." Ayato said with a smug smirk as he pinned the blonde. "What's important is dealing with me right now. You should be more worried about that."_

 _Yui shivered when she felt Ayato's hot breath on her face._

" _Ayato, please...let go."_

 _Ayato smirk only seemed to widen. "Now why would I do that? You seem to be in a hurry for someone only washing her face. You should have some time for me if you're not taking class attendance that seriously."_

" _I-it's not what you think." Yui fidgeted below him._

" _Oh, it's not? Then what are you really doing?"_

 _Yui inhaled and exhaled. She had a guess what the following reaction would be._

" _I'm looking for Laito-san, okay?"_

 _The moment that smug smirk left Ayato's face, Yui immediately looked away. Feeling scared at what's to come, she mentally braced herself for whatever tantrum the redhead might throw._

" _So Laito, huh? You like him, is that it?"_

" _W-what? No, of course not!" Yui defended._

" _You want him to fuck you, don't you?" Ayato snickered, but it had a deprecating tone to it. "I never figured you for that kind of girl, Pancake."_

" _I am not looking for him for that!"_

" _Then why are you looking for him?"_

 _Ayato's voice was low and dangerous. Yui made sure to choose her next words carefully._

" _He...he has something of mine."_

 _Ayato raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"_

" _Reiji-san said he took a letter that was addressed to me." Yui explained. "It's from my father. I just want it back."_

 _Ayato looked indecisive for a moment._

" _Now please let me go, Ayato." Yui smiled sweetly. "I promise I'll try to get to class as soon as I'm done."_

 _For a moment, Ayato looked frozen in his spot. He did not move nor looked at her. He was looking towards the side as if he were thinking about something._

" _Ayato?"_

 _Before Yui could stop him, the redheaded vampire grabbed her wrist and pulled._

" _Follow me, Pancake." He said as he dragged her. "I'll make this quick."_

* * *

 _Yui cringed when Ayato kicked the door to the music club open. It slammed catching the attention of whoever was inside._

" _Oh, Ayato...and Bitch-chan!" A flamboyant voice Yui knew all too well and dreaded greeted them. "What a surprise? Is there something you needed from the music club?"_

 _Yui took a glance at the Casanova vamp. It seems he wasn't alone in this room. There was another female student with outstanding foreign looks sitting on a chair reading music sheets while Laito was bent over behind her. They were probably talking a few seconds ago._

" _Cut the crap, Laito! You have something that belongs to Yui. Give it back!" Ayato went directly to the point._

" _Ayato..." If Yui didn't know any better, she would've been charmed by the redhead gripping her wrist. This was the first time she heard him call her by her real name even though he wasn't talking to her._

" _Oh, I don't know what you're talking about, Ayato?" Laito smiled coyly. "I think you might have made a mistake."_

" _There's no mistake, you bastard."_

" _Ayato-sama," it was the girl who was with Laito earlier who spoke up with seemingly noble eloquence. "...is there something you wanted from Laito and I?"_

" _Stay out of this, bitch." Ayato spat at her before turning to Laito. "Now give it here, or do I have to beat it out of you."_

 _Laito gave a short laugh before sighing and shaking his head in what seemed to be mock disappointment._

" _Ah, a pity at that...and here I was hoping that Bitch-chan might do some tricks for me in order to get this back."_

 _Laito pulled out an envelope from his pocket._

" _That's mine!" Yui shouted nearly going after it if only Ayato had not held her in place. "Give it back!"_

 _Laito smiled. "No."_

 _The girl from earlier looked confused. "Maybe I should come back later then, Laito-kun? I shall return to my class now. No doubt the teacher will be mad if I'm late."_

" _You go do that." Ayato commented roughly._

 _The two vampires ignored the lady leaving the music room with the exception of Yui who stared at her with jealousy wishing she could leave just as easily as she could._

" _Aw, that's really rude, Ayato? I was just about to get to know that lady a little bit more better."_

 _Laito then licked the envelope much to the disgust of Yui._

" _Shut up, you bastard." Ayato seemed to be screaming in rage. "Give it here, and I swear to God if you lick it like that again I'll kill you."_

 _Laito feigned mock hurt._

" _Aw, Ayato-kun...I never thought you cared about Bitch-chan that much. You really want to get in her good graces that badly?"_

 _Yui couldn't help but somewhat ponder what Laito said. Why was Ayato helping her?_

 _Laito gave a mock laugh before shaking the envelope like a fan to air his face._

" _Ah, fine, here."_

 _He threw the envelope like a shuriken at Ayato who caught it effortlessly._

" _It's not like I can make her do tricks now anyway. Not with you around, anyway. Oh well, another time perhaps. Ta-ta~!"_

 _Ayato and Yui watched in silence as Laito left the room in nonchalant swagger._

" _Um, A-ayato-san?"_

 _Ayato shoved the envelope unto her chest with more force than necessary._

" _Here, idiot! Next time, you're on your own. Geez, I'm late for class..." He shakes his head and starts to leave the room._

" _Wait, Ayato..." Yui stopped him before he walked out of sight._

 _Ayato turned back to her, looking rather annoyed._

" _What, Pancake?" He says harshly._

" _Thank you." Yui smiled at him brightly. For once, very genuinely glad that he was around._

 _Ayato blushed. For a moment, Yui believed her eyes were fooling her as she saw the redheaded vampire fidget and try to hide his face._

" _Idiot!"_

 _With that he left with no intention of letting Yui stop him again._

 _Yui looked down at the envelope that was from her father. Class already started a few minutes ago and she was late. Not too much so the teacher might excuse her. She didn't want to ruin her perfect attendance as useless as the record might seem. She decided to read the letter later._

 _For once, Yui Komori was in a good mood. She hadn't been in a good mood in quite a long time._

* * *

 _Class was over before Yui realized it._

 _It was the final class that she had for the night. She wanted to go over to Ayato and thank him for what he did again and maybe even let him drink her blood, but the redhead strangely disappeared from the classroom before she got the chance leaving her alone._

 _Now Yui did not want to admit it, but she actually thought that Ayato was starting to look rather handsome there._

 _She shook her head before she got any stupid ideas. Ayato probably had an ulterior motive. Now Yui felt bad for looking a gift horse in the mouth, but past experiences with the Sakamaki brothers taught her that their whatever kindness they showed always had a mock of falsity to it._

 _Now she was proven wrong a few times, such as when Subaru gave her that knife which she hid inside her room. She never took it with her in fear of one of the brothers finding out. So far, none of them found it yet and Subaru never really sold her out. So she held unto it._

 _It was pretty nice to look at. Even if she didn't have any martial training on how to use a knife or defend herself from one, it still made her believe that maybe, just maybe, they weren't so bad._

 _Long shot for that one, though._

 _Now Yui was stuck here in school for another hour. The limousine wouldn't come to pick her up until all the Sakamaki brothers were done with their classes. Shu and Reiji still had an extra class to attend so she had free time until then._

 _Of course, she never got anymore funny ideas of escaping just because she had a lot of time to do so. Not since Laito caught her in her last attempt._

 _She shuddered at the thought._

 _She'd rather not go back there, really._

 _Anyway, her point being that the vampires always seem to be a few steps ahead of her. They always knew where she was and where to look. It was almost as if they had a GPS tracking device latched onto her soul._

 _Sucks to be her, really._

 _She decided to do a little bit of wandering. Maybe the school had some interesting events coming soon?_

* * *

 _Yui decided to wander around the gardens of the night school._

 _One upside to being in a school full of rich folk was that the place was absolutely gorgeous. Now Yui wasn't a plant person. She couldn't tell the difference between what flowers were what. But she held an appreciation for beauty nonetheless. The huge fountain in the middle only served to increase the beauty._

 _The gardens were really the only place where she could get some relaxation away from the brothers. As far as she noticed, they never seemed to be here for some reason._

 _There were quite a few students here all admiring the view as well. Most of them were couple who gather around to kiss under the romantic mood._

 _It honestly made Yui rather jealous. She was already this far in her teens, and she never had a boyfriend before. It honestly made her feel sad._

" _You okay there, Miss?"_

 _Huh?_

" _Huh?" Yui turned around. She was greeted to a sight of an older male teen, who was a head and more taller than her. He had messy spiky hair adding more to his height. He was rather ruggedly handsome. Like her, he was dressed in a uniform for this school but had a green jacket over it. "Um, yes, I'm quite alright. Thank you for asking."_

 _The mysterious young man gave a chuckle._

" _Really? You look rather stressed to me." He said nonchalantly, scratching the back of his hair. "I could tell by the way you were staring at space."_

 _Yui felt rather bashful. Was it that obvious?_

" _Oh, I just had a lot of things to worry about."_

" _Well, I could lend an ear if you'd like. You look like you have a lot of things on your mind."_

 _Yui looked at him strangely. She did not even now the young man. She didn't really feel like telling strangers about her worries, but it's not like she had anyone to talk to._

 _The young teen smiled at her as if he read her mind._

" _Heh, I get it. You're suspicious of me." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I can promise you I've got no ulterior motives."_

" _Oh, it's not that." Yui denied it. "It's just that..."_

 _The strange young teen raised an eyebrow._

" _...well, I don't want to trouble you or anything."_

" _Shinya." The young man stared into the fountain beside them._

" _Huh?" Yui blinked._

" _My name." The young man looked at her in the eye. Yui couldn't help but be mesmerized by his warm chocolate colored eyes. "Ren Shinya. You can call me Ren."_

" _Oh," Yui nodded. "...my name is Yui Komori. You can just call me Yui then, Ren-san."_

" _Yui...Komori?" Ren brushed his chin. He seemed to be pondering about something. "I've heard that name before. Hey, you wouldn't happen to be that girl who hangs around with the Sakamaki brothers, are you?"_

 _Yui gulped._

" _Yeah, that'd be me." She admitted sheepishly._

 _Shinya looked at her seemingly surprised with the news._

" _Didn't think I was talking to someone so popular..." He whistled._

" _What? No, no, no, I'm not popular at all."_

 _Ren raised an eyebrow. "Really, you're a subject for rumours. Thought you were somewhat of a bitch, but you seem nice."_

" _Those rumors aren't true, I can assure you."_

" _So what're you doing hanging around with them?" Ren asked. "Your parents engaged you to one of them or something?"_

" _No, it's not like that." Yui shook her head. "It's really a long story..."_

 _Ren looked at her empathetically, understanding the message._

" _Well, alright. Those guys are a bunch of weirdoes anyway. Hope I'm not being offensive."_

" _Oh no, they can be pretty weird." Yui knew this was an understatement._

" _Anyway, I'm gonna relax for a while. Feel free to sit with me since you don't look like you have anybody to talk to." Ren moved towards the edge of the fountain and took a seat there._

 _Yui, having nothing else to do, followed him and took a seat._

" _Ah, nothing beats the cold fresh air of the night." Ren breathed in and looked up, admiring the stars._

 _Yui looked up as well, her lips turning into a smile as she noticed how beautiful the stars looked._

" _I'm more of a morning person, really. But I can enjoy the night."_

 _She didn't mean to say that, but the words slipped out of her mouth. She was being honest though, the mornings were the only time she got peace and quiet in the Sakamaki mansion as the brothers, being vampires, naturally disliked that time of the day, with the exception of Reiji who was always up early. Whether it was personal preference or a vampire thing, she did not know._

" _Really? I always thought waking up in the mornings were a pain."_

" _You prefer sleeping in?" Yui guessed._

" _Not really, I wake up to jog every day to keep my body in shape. Not that I like it or anything." Ren admitted. "But yeah, I sometimes wish I could sleep in."_

 _A noticeable moment of silence ran past the two as Yui didn't know how to forward the conversation._

" _So, are you a senior here, Ren?"_

" _Uh-huh," Ren confirmed in the positive. "Going on my last year."_

" _What course are you gonna take once you graduate?"_

 _Ren shrugged._

" _Don't really know. Still deciding."_

" _I see, I don't suppose you share classes with someone named Reiji?"_

" _Aw, him?" Ren's face contorted comically in a funny way. "The elder Sakamaki with a stick up his ass and wears glasses?"_

 _Yui nodded._

" _Yeah, I share a few classes with that guy alright. Always seems uptight. He's nice and polite and all, but I got no idea how anyone buys into his act."_

" _Huh? What do you mean?"_

" _It's from the way he walks," Ren explained. "...he looks down on everyone else and always has a condescending attitude he hides well. It doesn't help that he acts aloof and has no friends. Guy's got no friends cause he's an asshole."_

" _Really? You can tell?" Yui looked surprised. "All that just from the way he walks?"_

" _Well, am I wrong?" Ren looked at her and pulled out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and lit it up. "You live with him so you tell me."_

" _No, you're not." Yui was surprised with the young teen's accuracy. She then coughed when the smoke from the cigarette hit her face._

" _What, is the cigarette bothering you or something?" Ren looked at her worriedly._

" _Oh, no, I'm just not used to smoke." Yui admitted. She knew it was against school regulation to smoke on campus grounds but she decided not to mention it._

" _I'll take that as a yes."_

 _With that, Ren put out the smoke and placed it in a container he had in his pocket._

 _Yui smiled and genuinely appreciated the young man's thoughtfulness._

" _So, Yui...are you in any clubs?"_

 _Yui shook her head._

" _No, I've never had the chance to be in one."_

" _Why not?"_

" _I never found a club I fancied. In fact, I've never been in a club before."_

 _Ren stood up from his seat, smiling at her._

" _In that case..."_

* * *

" _Where are you taking me?"_

" _You'll see..."_

 _Yui followed Ren up the stairs after the older teen beckoned for her to see something. He said it might be interesting to her and that she might like it. She didn't really know what he meant or if it was a trap of the sorts, but Ren had an air around him that made her feel safe. She decided to trust him and follow the guy to a higher level on the school building she had never been to._

 _Ren stopped by a door to the left. Yui began to notice that there were almost no students on this floor._

" _We're here." He announced, sliding the door open. Yui couldn't see what was inside until Ren flicked the light switch on._

" _...Kickboxing Club?"_

" _Yeah."_

 _Yui took notice of all the gym equipment and noticed that the room had an air of masculinity._

" _What are you waiting for? Come on in."_

" _I didn't know this was here." Yui took a look around as she stepped inside the room. "Where are the rest of the members, Ren?"_

" _They called in for the night – said they were studying for the midterms next week."_

 _That puzzled Yui. Someone here actually studied for the exams?_

" _If can guess, that's an obviously lie." Ren explained to her. "There's a new shop down the road near the school, they've got waitresses in skimpy Halloween outfits serving customers. Take a guess where they are now?"_

" _...oh." Yui said dryly. "You didn't go with them?"_

" _Nah, I've got better things to do than to ogle women." Ren took of his jacket and threw it to a nearby workbench._

" _So why did you take me here?"_

" _Wanted to see if you might want to join us..."_

" _No offense, Ren, but why would I need want to join Kickboxing?"_

 _Ren gave a short chuckle as he sat on the workbench he threw his jacket to. "You'd be surprised. Beating things up is actually quite the stress reliever. And you, my friend, look quite stressed."_

 _Yui looked down sheepishly._

" _I suppose I have been rather tired lately. But I don't see how punching and kicking is going to relieve stress."_

 _Due to her Catholic upbringing by her father, Yui was always taught that violence was wrong._

" _Simple, just imagine whatever's stressing you out and beat the ever living shit out of it." Ren said with a confident smirk._

" _Oh, I really couldn't..."_

 _With a sigh, Ren stood up and walked over to a punching bag behind Yui._

" _Just give it a shot, you came all this way." His thumb pointed towards the punching bag._

" _I don't know how to throw a punch." Yui admitted._

" _Give it a try." Ren encouraged._

 _Yui sighed. She didn't really think it would work, but she walked over to the punching bag, reeled her fist in, and threw it._

 _It was pathetic, honestly. The old punching bag barely moved and it didn't decrease her frustrations at all. Her pathetic attempt only lowered her self esteem._

 _She then heard Shinya giving an understanding laugh as she felt him pat her back softly._

" _It's okay. That's normal if you don't know what to do." Ren flashed her an encouraging smile. "Look, watch this..."_

 _Ren positioned himself in front of the punching bag and took a stance. Yui immediately felt the aura of a seasoned fighter in front of her as she watched the way his body moved comfortably into the stance as if had been doing it for years._

 _Ren threw a punch._

 _His feet and legs twisted along with his hips as he threw a few jabs and reeled in a hook twisting his body to the other side._

" _When you throw a punch, it's not just in your fist, you see. It's in your footwork and your hips. When you throw a jab reel it back in immediately and if you throw a hook, twist your body so that it adds to the force."_

 _Yui looked at him impassively._

" _Think you can try it, blondie?"_

 _Yui nodded._

 _She tried to imitate Ren's boxing stance but her body was shaking. Being in a fighting position made her feel weird as she was never in a fight before in her life. She couldn't pinpoint what she felt by it exactly but it was like trying out a new dancing move you've never done before._

 _She sighed before she remembered Shinya's instructions to her._

' _When you throw a jab, reel it back in immediately...'_

 _She did as he said and, to her surprise, she felt actual force behind her fist as she threw single jab into the punching bag._

" _Good, now why don't you try out a few..." Ren commented in the back._

 _Yui nodded and threw a few more jabs and followed it up with a hook._

' _...if you throw a hook, twist your body so that it adds to the force.'_

 _This one also had success. And it felt heavier and more powerful (for someone of Yui's stature anyway) than her jab._

" _Looks like you're getting the hang of it."_

 _Yui looked over to Ren who was smiling proudly._

" _Don't drop your stance and always keep your guard up when you're boxing. Lowering your arms is leaving yourself up for an opening."_

 _Yui nodded._

" _Well, do you feel better now?"_

 _Yui nodded, smiling happily._

" _Yeah, I feel a bit more confident in myself." She exhaled, clutching her chest. "I had no idea it could feel so liberating."_

" _It feels good, doesn't it?" Ren looked at his own fist. He looked like he was reminiscing something. "To have power for once, I remember the first time I learned how to punch. It made me feel like I could change something. I took down some asshole who was bullying me back in the past, never felt better..."_

 _Yui looked at him, studying his face._

" _I appreciate it, but why are you helping me?"_

" _I had the same look as you once when I was younger. Figured I found a kindred spirit when I saw you near the fountain staring into space like that..." He shrugged nonchalantly. "You and I may be more alike than you think."_

 _Yui giggled._

 _She then looked over at her watch._

" _Oh my, it's getting late. I really should be going." She remembered that the limousine was going to arrive in a few minutes._

" _Already? Aw, I didn't scare you off, did I?"_

" _No, of course not. You're a wonderful person. It's just that the Sakamaki brothers don't like it if I keep them waiting."_

 _Ren smiled at her. "Those assholes giving you any trouble?"_

" _N-no," Yui lied. "I just don't want to overstay my welcome at their place."_

" _Well, you coming back soon?"_

 _Yui nodded in the affirmative._

" _Of course, I look forward to spending some time with you."_

" _Hey, don't put it like that," Ren chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "...you're making me feel like a player."_

 _Yui giggled at his reaction._

" _Alright, I'll be seeing you, Ren." She made her move to exit the room. "I had a wonderful time with you."_

" _You want me to escort you down, Yui?"_

" _No, I'll be fine."_

" _If you say so..."_

* * *

" _I'm sorry for being late."_

" _Where were you?" Reiji's voice cut out menacingly. "When you were late, we figured you might have tried to escape. But your scent never left campus ground, so I figured you must have selfishly taken your time."_

 _Yui looked down in depression._

" _It was only a few minutes..."_

" _Don't talk back to me."_

 _Yui sighed._

" _I'm sorry for being late, Reiji-san. It will never happen again."_

 _Reiji gave her a strict look as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose._

" _It had better not. Now get in."_

" _Yes, sir..." Yui said depressingly._

* * *

 _The ride back to the mansion hadn't been enjoyable._

 _The entire time, the Laito and Ayato had been bothering her scent being different like she had been spending time with another man. She chose to keep silent about Ren. They might not have allowed her to go near him again, or worse, they might kill her new friend. And she did not want that._

 _Kanato merely stared at her creepily meanwhile Shu ignored her as usual sleeping on his own listening to headphones._

 _Subaru looked as pissed as ever._

 _Reiji did not look happy. Well, he never did, but this time the air around him felt heavier than ever before._

 _Yui felt as she did like always – exhausted physically, mentally, and sexually._

 _Her body had been abused every day, by now she should have been used to it. Unfortunately, her body never learned how to cope._

 _So she did what she always did: keep quiet and let the vampires do whatever they want with her._

 _Noticing this trait of herself made her feel bad; it made her feel weak._

 _For once in her life, she noticed that she did not like being a victim._

* * *

 _Yui felt frightened._

" _So, are you going to tell us why your scent smells like another person's?" It was Reiji who spoke, looking down on her with an emotion Yui could not pinpoint._

" _Have you been seeing someone behind my back, Bitch-chan?"_

" _Oi, Pancake, you had better not think of leaving Yours Truly for that asshole."_

" _I'm telling you guys, there was no guy."_

" _She's a dirty liar, isn't she, Teddy?"_

" _Maybe breaking her legs might make her more honest."_

" _Look, it was probably just somebody who bumped into me." Yui shouted in defense, taking a few steps backwards._

" _Give it up." It was Shu who surprisingly decided to enter the conversation despite lying down on the couch. "The way the blood inside your body is reacting smells of deceit. Do you really think that we wouldn't notice that you're lying, human?"_

 _Yui looked defeated._

" _I'm telling you it wasn't anybody."_

 _Ayato pulled on her arm all of the sudden rather painfully._

" _I can smell it off on you."_

" _I must admit that the scent is disturbingly familiar, but I can quite place my finger on it." Reiji commented._

" _Why are you guys giving me pressure so much about this anyway? So what if there was a guy? It's not like he'd be stupid enough to help me escape."_

" _Ah, so you do admit there was a guy..." Laito smugly commented. "I'm quite hurt, Bitch-chan. I'm very much hurt. You couldn't spend your time with me instead? I promise to show you a better time."_

" _No, I said: 'what if' I never said there was anybody."_

 _There was an uncomfortable amount of silence that dawned inside the room._

" _So you are really adamant of not admitting it?" Reiji pushed his glasses up his nose. He then walked over to her and placed his face near hers a little too close for comfort._

" _You reek of cigarette, human."_

 _Yui gasped._

 _Before she could comprehend what was happening, Reiji suddenly held something familiar in his hand._

" _My letter!" Yui screamed. She had forgotten to read about it. She hadn't read it yet._

 _Reiji did something that broke Yui's heart._

 _He ripped it into so many pieces that it was like going through a shredder. She watched with sad eyes as the only letter her father ever wrote her fell down on the floor in pieces._

" _To think I was kind enough to have given you this. It seems I need to be a little less lenient next time I allow you to have a moment of happiness. You've obviously been quite spoiled."_

 _The room howls with mocking snickering from Ayato, Kanato, and Laito._

 _At the sight of the letter down in shreds, Yui felt something in her she had never felt in her life before._

 _Unstoppable rage._

' _...if you're gonna throw a hook, twist your body so that it adds to the force.'_

 _For a momentary second, Yui felt like she had become the most victorious person in this world. Her fist slamming Reiji's cheek made her feel joys she never thought she could achieve by committing violence._

 _For a moment, she felt like a real heroine._

 _All of that crushed in the next moment when she noticed the room go deadly quiet and a painful sensation on her hand._

 _Yui screamed in pain as her bruises started forming on the exterior of her fingers._

 _She looked over to Reiji who had his eyeglasses dropped onto the floor and had clear shocked expression. His reddish eyes shaking with unknown emotion._

" _ **How. Dare. You."**_

 _And now, Yui felt like a little girl facing down the big bad wolf._

" _You, insolent human!" Reiji's scream could be heard across the room._

 _Yui felt herself get lifted into the air by the throat. She started choking as the air left her lungs._

" _How dare you lay a finger on me, you wretch?!"_

 _Yui felt a sudden sense of dread. This was it. This was how she was going to die. At least she had one moment of triumph before the very end. At least she did not lose herself to them._

 _Before Yui could feel death's embrace, she felt the force of gravity pull her down towards someone's arms. She looked up slowly while holding her sore throat coughing to see that Ayato and Subaru was holding Reiji down._

" _Are you crazy, tableware otaku?! You actually looked like you were trying to kill her!"_

" _Fuck that, he almost did!"_

 _Yui looked behind her to see that Shu was carrying her bridal style while crouching._

" _Let me go! How dare that human-!"_

" _That's enough, Reiji...I'm sure she's learned her lesson."_

 _Reiji looked like he could murder somebody right now._

 _Before Yui could find out what a vampire's full extent of rage was, she felt like she was immediately carried into the air by Shu._

" _Where are you going?" It was Subaru who asked._

" _I'm going to take her somewhere where she can have a time out."_

* * *

 _Yui spent the rest of the trip being carried around the mansion by Shu bridal style._

 _She'd be lying if she said it didn't feel comfortable in his arms. Agrh, damn female hormones! It would've made her feel like a princess, but judging from the reason of why Shu was doing this, Yui knew she had nothing to be happy about._

 _Before she knew it, she was dropped into a room that felt dreadfully small and empty._

" _This is the closest one next to my room. If anything happens I can come by immediately."_

" _Wait, Shu-"_

" _You're going to stay here until we can figure out what to do with your recent...rebellious nature."_

 _She'd expect such words to come out of Reiji's mouth, but never from Shu._

* * *

Yui sighed.

She spent the night trapped in her memories repeating the events over and over again in her head.

She almost died a few hours ago.

Never had her heartbeat beat faster than before.

She almost died. This was closest she had to dying.

Yui shook her head. It didn't matter. It was best not to think about it if she wanted to get some sleep.

A while of moving around the curtain made bed looking for a comfortable position to sleep in, she suddenly heard somebody knocking on the door.

" _Oi, Pancake, you there?"_

"Ayato?" Yui responded weakly.

" _Heh, guess Shu really did decide to keep you in the least comfortable room in the house."_

"What do you want?" Yui said rudely. She was not in the mood for him right now.

" _Aw, come on, after all the trouble I went through fixing your precious message? I thought I'd get a warmer welcome."_

"What are you talking about?" Yui demanded.

" _Look under the door..."_

Yui stood up slowly as she walked over towards the locked door. She immediately notices something white slip under.

"What's this?" Yui picked it up.

" _You can't tell? Damn, you're slow. It's the letter from your dad."_

"What, but how?! I thought Reiji tore it to pieces."

" _He did."_ Ayato confirmed on the other side. _"I spent all night piecing it together."_

Okay, that surprised Yui.

"But why? Why would you do such a nice thing?"

" _Don't get me wrong, Pancake. This is my way of getting even for laughing at you earlier. You hear that? We're even now. Enjoy your crummy letter."_

Yui felt so happy that she could almost cry. In fact, a few tears slid down her face as she fell down on her knees staring at the letter.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Ayato~!" She covered her mouth in happiness.

" _Tch, whatever. I'm going back to my room."_

"Goodnight, Ayato. And thank you so much."

" _Goodnight, Yui."_

* * *

 **Dear Yui:**

 **My beloved daughter, it has been so long since I've last seen your face. You cannot imagine my regret for sending you to that place. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I know it's difficult to understand a reason as to why I did what I did sending you to that place, but believe me, nothing I ever do is out of contempt for you. I love you, my precious daughter.**

 **In time, you will learn why you are there, but in the meantime, I made sure you aren't alone. I sent somebody there to help you with your burdens. This man will assist you and act as your protector. Yui, there are some things that this young man does that you may find amoral, but you must forgive him and trust what he says. Do whatever it is that he tells you to. He will keep you safe.**

 **His name is Ren Shinya.**

 **With love,  
Seiji Komori**

* * *

Yui was puzzled.

What did her father mean by him having a reason to send her here. Did he know that these people were vampires? And Ren? What does he know about the Sakamaki? Her father said that he sent him to protect her.

Yui felt quite confused.

There were so many things she did not know the answer to.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This was tiresome to build.**

 **I admit, towards the end I got a little bit lazy because I was just hurrying up for the chapter to be finished. My neck hurts from being bent to face the computer for so long.**

 **Bah, whatever, I'm sure you don't want to hear my lousy excuses. You want to talk about the chapter, right? I guess I could explain a few things.**

 **Here are my thoughts...**

 **About the story: this has always been on my mind. What if Yui actually had decent character development instead of being a flat character with no personality. A story where Yui acts as the detective to solve the mystery instead of the victim who's there for the sole purpose of being abused.**

 **My thoughts on Yui Komori: A flat, frustrating character who I wish I could've been the one to design. She's just too generic. I wish she had a defining character trait other than stupidity. While this story stays true to her character it does give her a more likable development and better portrayal.**

 **Ren Shinya: My OC. Somewhat of a mentor as a stepping stone for Yui's growth. I based him off of somebody. Take a guess on who he's based off of. Anyway, what's your take on him? Is he interesting or bland?**

 **My favorite brother? I seem to be leaning towards Reiji. Not in a gay way, I just find him more interesting than the other characters.**

 **And yes, there are pairings in this story, though I'll let you guys take a vote as to who you want to see with Yui. Also, please state the reason WHY you want him to end up with her and WHY you think he should be the one.**

 **I hope you guys had fun reading this, if not, be sure to tell me what went wrong.**

 **I'd appreciate a good review. Do me a favor and leave your thoughts.**

 **User 627 out!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Fear of Yui Komori

**Chapter 2**

 **The Fear of Yui Komori**

* * *

Reiji was inside his room pondering in anger.

Recalling the event that happened moments ago almost made him break open the door on the way in and proceeded to smash and destroy everything in sight. Almost. He was not a child; and he would not throw a tantrum like one. It was far beneath him.

He did, however, have lingering thoughts about revenge.

The second eldest of the Sakamaki sighed in frustration before relaxing in his seat. What good would being angry do him now? Sure, Yui Komori will pay for her actions, but what good would it be if he could not even go near the object of his revenge.

Still, he could not wait to discipline that arrogant human.

But he would have to control himself for now. He would never admit to it, but he felt quite embarrassed at his loss of composure earlier. Part of him felt ashamed of himself, it was beneath him to lose his cool. It had simply never happened before. Even the resentment he held towards his elder sibling, he kept himself in control the entire time.

Then again, nobody had ever gone that far to offend him.

Reiji took a sip of his special tea he had been working on. It was his very own recipe and it did help him calm down a bit.

' _Now what to do with the insolent girl...'_ He closed his eyes in attempt to rest, not physically of course, but more of emotionally.

Reiji's thoughts wandered back to the letter he tore up. He examined the contents again and again trying to understand what the priest could've possibly meant by sending Komori Yui a protector. Keep the girl safe from what? Didn't he send her away to this place? Why the change of heart? And why now?

There was obviously something he was missing, that much Reiji knew. If the priest truly did want to protect his daughter, why not have sent for a guardian much, much earlier? Better yet, why bother sending her here in the first place?

' _The priest mentioned there being a reason to sending her here,'_ Reiji thought trying to put the pieces together. _'...besides being a sacrificial bride we're not allowed to kill, what else is her purpose here?'_

On that note, Reiji should've noticed sooner. He realizes this himself. There was most probably a reason, an important one no less, as to why _that man_ told them not to kill her. If it wasn't for that, the sacrificial bride would obviously be dead. That, and her blood did taste good.

' _Understatement...'_

Reiji muses to himself.

If that girl was good for one thing, it was definitely her blood—just the taste of it almost made them drunk and craving for more. It was the finest Reiji himself had tasted. None ever came close it. As much as Reiji hated to admit it, it was the main reason he and his brothers will not let anyone near Yui. Just think what would happen if another unknown vampire got their hands on her, or even another demon for that matter.

Which was why her scent that reeked of cigarette bothered him so much. Komori Yui did not smoke. Sure, she could've gotten near a student who did smoke and just happen to catch it. If that was the case alone, they would've left it at that. But there was another scent that lingered pervasively around her.

' _A human male's...'_ Reiji notes. _'...a familiar one.'_

The answer was right in front of him, he just knew it, but he couldn't quite place his finger at it which frustrated him even further. During school, there were a lot of scents. Too many to pinpoint who it actually was that was near the sacrificial bride.

' _This Ren Shinya...'_ He remembered the letter. _'...he's the one supposed to protect her. But what exactly is he protecting her from?'_

More importantly, is it even important to dwell on? When he places it all together, Reiji couldn't say that this Shinya person was a valid threat. The old priest mentioned something about having a reason to send her here. But what could it have been? Besides her role as a sacrificial bride, was there something special about her perhaps?

' _No, it couldn't have been that.'_ Reiji denied it. _'There is nothing particularly outstanding about her other than the fact that she managed to survive for so long more than the others, which is an impressive feat.'_

Reiji also noted that if he was going to send her a protector, why now of all times? Did he not send her here with full knowledge that the chances of her dying were quite high? If he was going to send her a protector, why bother sending a letter anyone could read? Why not just let this bodyguard of hers just come out of the open and tell her himself? It would've been much more discreet.

Reiji knew one thing for sure.

' _Whoever this Shinya Ren is, he is certainly not protecting her from us.'_

He then recalled the purpose of sacrificial brides.

" _Sacrificial brides are supposed to be a form of peace offering between the Sakamaki bloodline and those hunters. Within a few months, their organization supplies us with a fresh source of blood, and in turn, we do not hunt."_

Those were the words of Karlheinz explaining to his children about the purpose of the sacrificial brides.

But no matter how hard he ponders it, Reiji could find no reason as to how the current sacrificial bride, Yui Komori, stands out. Despite being an attractive blood supply, her skills and talents were painfully average, even her personality was too passive to be interesting.

At least until a few moments ago...

' _Her resistance was quite unexpected.'_ Reiji balls one of his fists in anger at the thought. He had never been so humiliated twice in one night. Having the stupid human defying him and himself losing control had never happened before.

Reiji Sakamaki was a vampire. Vampires were considered one of the strongest, if not the strongest, species of demons there is. A simple punch from a human female as fragile as Yui would've been so easy to dodge he could've done it in his sleep.

But he couldn't.

Not because of inability, but simply because he did not expect such an action from the blonde. His eyes could see the incoming fist, but he was too shocked to register what was actually happening. Even more strange, was that she simply knew _how_ to throw a hook. Since when did that woman know a thing or two about fighting? She couldn't fight to save her own life.

Reiji wanted to learn just exactly what happened tonight.

He decided to spend some time formulating a plan.

000

"Hey, human, wake up..."

"...huh?"

Yui slowly opened her eyelids that still heavy from sleep. The first she saw in her hazy vision was a handsome face with orange blond hair staring down at her stoically.

"Shu?"

"Human." The eldest Sakamaki responded in the same lazy tone he normally used. "You're a mess."

Yui groaned. Strange...why did her back feel so rough? And why did it feel like she was still wearing her school uniform? Why did her bed feel like cement? Was something wrapped around her right hand?

This didn't feel like her room.

Something wasn't right.

"What happened? Why am I here?" She draped an arm over her eyes and closed them again in rest.

"Your punishment has been decided." Shu ignored her question. He simply placed his hands inside his pockets.

"Huh? Punishment?" That got Yui curious. "Punishment for what?"

"For what happened last night. Don't tell me you've already forgotten, human."

"Last...night?" Yui yawned and turned around away from the eldest vampire brother. She was too sleepy to simply care about what he was talking about. "Why? What happened last—"

At least, until his words finally hit her.

"Oh my God!" She shot up and scrambled to sit down. Her sleepiness and drowsiness finally vanished. Although her blonde hair was a mess and there were still bugs under her eyes, she was quite awake now.

"Oh God, is Reiji alright?!" Yui immediately sat up with her eyes wide open. She no longer felt sleepy in that very instant. She could feel her heart pumping at an accelerated pace. "Is he angry at me?!"

"That's something you should be asking him." Shu said lazily.

"Oh, boy..." Yui felt like she badly wanted to cry and reverse time. Had she known what was in store for her today, she would've just remained passive. Even though she asked the question, she already knew the answer. Yes, Reiji would not let this go.

"Anyway, you are to serve Reiji for this week and the next starting today."

"What?!" Yui yelled and rushed to stand up on her feet. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Keep your voice down, human." Shu said with a subtle hint of irritation in his voice. "It's quite early in the morning for you to be so loud."

Yui bit her lip and tried to calm herself down. "Are you serious? Please, I'd rather get any other punishment than that."

"It's already been decided." Shu said apathetically.

"Can't you do anything about it?" Yui begged grabbing on to the back of his shirt. She was looking at him with puppy dog eyes. " _Please_ , Shu..."

For a moment, Shu looked at her in the eye. Yui could not tell what he was thinking. The eldest vampire seemed to be pondering inside his thoughts. His body did not move and remained like a statue that made Yui feel eerily uncomfortable.

A noticeable moment later, Shu sighed.

"There is nothing I can do. It has already been decided."

"But _please,_ Shu! Reiji will kill me! I'm begging you!"

"He will not kill you." Shu says with his hands inside his pockets. "At worst, he will probably torture you or suck out your blood to near death, but he will not kill you. You are much too important to die."

"That's not any better!" Yui practically screamed. Her hands were now digging into Shu's shirt tightly. She realized that she was now begging for her life. Although Reiji may not kill her, she was most certain she might not be able to walk again after such a whipping.

"There has to be something...anything."

Shu raised a brow. That got his attention.

"I'd rather serve under you, Shu..."

Shu broke eye contact. After a few seconds, he looked at her again.

"You'll do anything I ask?"

It wasn't a question. They were negotiating. Yui knew that she had to convince him that she'd rather serve under him than Reiji. It shouldn't be too hard. Right now she was willing to put everything she had on the table. And Shu seemed like he was giving in.

"I suppose I can lessen the time." Shu offered. "But Reiji will not like it. I can take away half of your time with him although you will serve under me."

Yui backed away. That wasn't good enough. Although it will spare her half the torment, Reiji would just put twice the effort to break her.

Yui fell down on her knees. Her eyes were tearing up.

"No, no, no..." She repeated like a mantra as she grabbed her head. "That's not good enough."

Yui did not consider herself a fool. She knew full well that even half an hour spent with Reiji when he was determined to pay her back for last night would end with her not being able to walk.

"That's the best I can do, human." Shu said turning around to exit the room. "You will begin serving Reiji by nine o' clock this morning. An hour from now you will make your way to his private library where he will be waiting. I will inform him of the changes regarding your time with him right now. You will be under my care by three in the noon. Don't be late."

With that, Shu left the blonde girl an utter mess.

Yui whimpered. Despite the fact that she managed to negotiate a more comfortable predicament away from the hands of the strictest brother of the bunch, she still had half of the time with him. No doubt her body will not be able to take the excruciating pain Reiji will inflict on her without mercy.

"Lord, please help me..."

All the weak human could do right now, was pray.

000

"This the place?" Ren inhaled the cigarette one last time before tossing it away. He had his free hand on a cell phone talking to somebody.

"Are you sure?" He waited for the answer. "By any means necessary then?"

A few irate answers go through the phone.

"Okay, okay, geez..." Ren whistled and gave his spike black hair a ruffle. "I'm on it. Don't worry, I'll make sure not to destroy too much of the forest, ya damn tree hugger."

He pocketed the cell phone after he disconnected with the other side, grumbling while at it.

"Miss Bossy always tells me not to leave too much of a mess. How's a man supposed to deal with supernatural predators if he's gonna keep it clean?"

Even when dressed in his favorite thick green jacket and dark jeans, Ren notes that it's still pretty cold up here in the mountains in the early morning. Personally, he would've preferred to just assign the job to another hunter in the city and go back to sleeping in again, but he was the nearest and dealing with werewolves were tricky business. But the pay was good, and the old priest did ask him to help clean up the town. Either way, the call was an emergency so he had no choice but to accept.

He took a few steps forward. The work shoes he wore made crunching noises against the grass.

"Now where are you mutts hiding?"

He looked around for signs. Broken twigs, footprints, blood trails, claw marks, and just about anything really. Even the smell of faeces was a sign that someone's been there. Not pretty, he knew, but it was part of the job and that's what he was trained for. And there was always a clue or a sign no matter how subtle he could use to track down his prey.

But for these guys however, there wasn't a single visible trace. The trail he had been following earlier ended here in the middle of nowhere, barely enough to get a signal back to his boss.

Whoever these guys were, they were smart enough to cover their tracks. Pesky werewolves always gave him damn trouble with their speed. They could easily outrun him so he had to be careful and take them all down quick otherwise they might escape him.

Ren pulled out a .44 revolver magnum from inside his jacket. Guns were illegal in Japan, sure. But with proper contacts, he could get his hands on virtually any gun he needs for whatever operation. The only real problem was concealment and getting the approval from his strict higher ups who insisted to bring the smallest and quietest weapon possible.

"No wonder so many of us die," he sighed staring at his gun. He wanted to bring a hunting rifle for this mission, but there was simply no time due to the urgency and lack of time to prepare. Besides, he didn't think his superiors would allow for it anyway. "...if only they'd give us more firepower and a little bit of leniency."

Ren exhaled his breath visible in little white transparent clouds due to the coldness.

"It's a pain, but a job's a job."

000

Yui steeled herself.

In front of her was Reiji's private study. She knew the vampire was on the other side waiting for her. She did everything she could to buy herself some time by making the hour go longer by staring at the clock. She wanted to wait until the last second to knock on the door. She doesn't want to come in early.

 _...tick...tick...tick..._

Nine o' clock, it was time to serve Reiji.

Yui frowned. Even with shaking hands, she forced herself to knock at the door slowly. As much as she did not want to be there, she didn't want to risk being late even for a second just to buy herself some time from her inevitable fate. To Reiji, time was precious and is not to be wasted. The vampire held nothing but disdain for tardiness. And knowing him, he would most probably use any excuse to punish her further.

Her great fear came to pass, and the door opened.

Reiji Sakamaki, the second eldest, had a strange smile on his face.

Being a small fragile girl as she was, Yui felt herself shaking in fear like a cornered rabbit awaiting the jaws of a wolf.

Dressed in a white long sleeves and dark pants along with leather shoes, Yui notes this was the most casual outfit she had seen him wear. A few buttons at the top of the long sleeve were loose and she could see a fair amount of his chest. His glasses were also quite absent. It was rather strange, Reiji had always dressed conservatively.

Seeing his change in style made Yui desire him, much to her dismay. She both feared and desired him. And it made her feel sick about herself. She couldn't help being a teenage high school girl with hormones.

"Well, well," Reiji spoke up, his smile widening. "...I'm glad you've finally arrived. Ah, but you look like you've seen a monster. Is there something wrong, Miss Yui? Have you slept well last night?"

Yui could not respond. She just waited for him to do whatever it is he was going to do. She knew there were venoms in his faux interest in her health.

"Why don't you come inside?" Reiji moved out of the way for her.

Yui went inside the room cautiously. Although any amount of guard she mustered was a wasted effort, she knew. There was nothing she could do go against whatever Reiji wanted her to do. She was completely powerless.

The only thing she could really do...was begging.

"I'm sorry..." Yui whimpered softly as she stared at the ground in shame.

"Hm, sorry for what?" Reiji's voice was strangely gentle. It was almost as if he really didn't know what she was talking about. "You seem quite shaken."

Yui gulped. The blonde realized that Reiji was clearly pretending not to remember the events of last night. The red spot where she had hit him already healed and faded. Part of her wonders if Reiji wanted her to admit her wrongdoings first.

"For last night, Reiji-kun..."

A coy smile reaches Reiji's lips. One Yui did not take a liking to.

"And what happened last night?"

Yui's eyes looked down in shame and humiliation.

"I...I punched you." She squeaked.

Reiji's coy smile turned into a devilish smirk.

"That's right." He said as though he praising her, just like how a master praises a dog for doing tricks on their behalf. "You've been a naughty girl, haven't you?"

Before Yui could answer, Reiji closed the door, sealing her fate.

"You're going to pay me back in full, Miss Komori."

Reiji licked his lips.

"Are you ready to take full responsibility for what you did to me, Miss Komori?"

Yui gulped.

"N-no." She stammered.

Reiji frowned.

"Now, that's not good." The second eldest Sakamaki shook his head in mock disappointment. "In fact, that doesn't really sound all that fair, wouldn't you say so?"

The blonde could not find it within herself to answer.

' _I don't care. I want to go.'_ She answered back in the depths of her mind. But Yui would never dare to say it out loud. Especially in front him.

Reiji gave a frown when he saw that she would not answer. He closed the door.

By the sound of the door shutting, Yui winced, now feeling like she was trapped in the room with the second eldest. This was all too wrong. A girl her age should be swooning at the fact that she was alone in a room with such a handsome young man. But it was far from any kind of scenario that she read out of a romance novel.

"Are you simply going to stand there?" Reiji's voice cut through her thoughts like a scalpel. Yui immediately gave him her full attention. "I was informed by Shu that he will be taking you after some time. Is this true?"

Yui saw the look on his face and saw that he wasn't too pleased that she tried to weasel out her time with him. But she nodded anyway.

Unexpectedly, Reiji simply didn't do anything or lash out when she fully expected him to then and there. The raven head simply exhaled as if he was dealing with a toddler who broke a few dinner plates playing around the kitchen.

"Well, I won't have you waste your time being idle." The second eldest crossed his arms. "For your behavior last night, you will spend time cleaning my room, attending to me in my lab, and then making me tea whenever I request it. If there's anything else I need you to do, you do it, understand?"

Yui blinked. She wasn't sure if she heard it right. Clean, make tea, and do whatever Reiji needed to do? She was expecting torture, but this kind of work made her sound like a—

"Basically, you are to be my personal maid during your time here."

Yui still couldn't say anything.

"You-you're not going to hurt me?" She was pushing her luck, but she could not stop herself from voicing it out.

"Oh," there was a curious raise of Reiji's brow. "…would you prefer a different sort of punishment then?"

Yui immediately shook her head. She started hoping that Reiji wasn't joking about this. "No! No! This one's fine! I can do this."

Reiji's stare at her was cold and felt even more intimidating without his glasses being on. Yui still felt uncomfortable despite knowing her punishment didn't involve physical pain in any way.

"Then go make me tea."

"Yes, sir!" Yui moved towards the tea set on the other side of the room. She exhaled in relief.

' _Looks like I didn't need to make that deal with Shu after all.'_

000

 _Meanwhile in Shu's room…_

"Now," the eldest Sakamaki started going through a pair of outfits most of them ranging from being rather skimpy to outright scandalous. "…what should I make her wear?"

There was a wicked smile on his face as he wanted to find just the perfect one.

Or perhaps...he could make her try all of them.

He was looking forward to this afternoon.

* * *

 **Chapter Fin...**

 **Next Chapter Expectation: Sometime this December**


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